Comfort
by Arya Lupin
Summary: A conversation I think should have been in the fifth book. My good friend Marauder Mischief Maker, wrote the first half of this two shot...here is the second, enjoy!


Hello all,

I am the talented Arya. My good friend and most amazing beta MMM asked if I would be willing to step in and write the second half of her story "I'll Try." I thought it would be fitting to entitle this one "Comfort."

Please, drop me a line and attend to my dear friends page MarauderishMischiefMaker

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"Why are there words on the back of your hand?"

Harry gulped.

Comfort

"It's nothing, a personal battle," Harry said, clenching his fingers together, so the scar showed more lightly as he tried to yank his hand back.

Sirius simply tightened his grip upon his godson's wrist, staring at the words. "I must not tell lies," he read, turning Harry's hand.

Harry sighed loudly. He yanked his arm back so hard, that Sirius was forced to let go. He could not help but feel a little annoyed at his godfather.

The anger was irrational. Harry knew it, but he couldn't help that it was there. Sirius had been locked in Azkaban, and then broken out and gone on the run. Now he had talked Harry out of going on the run and keeping himself from hurting others

Okay, Harry got that he needed to stay put for now, and let them keep teaching him more magic than he already knew. When you fight the Dark Lord, you need all the knowledge you collect about magic.

Now though, Sirius wanted to take his own private battle and air it out. He wanted to know what the words meant, and why they were carved upon his arm.

It was bad enough that Hermione and Ron had found out, but he did not need Sirius knowing. His hothead godfather would rush off to Hogwarts. Then he would be tossed back into a cell, or worse yet he would have his soul sucked out of his body. No matter what he could not tell Sirius what was going on!

"Harry I'm waiting for something better than 'it's nothing.' You have words etched on the back of your hand! What is going on?" Sirius said, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing," Harry said stubbornly, jutting out his chin just like James uses to do. Harry lifted his hands up and messed up his already unruly hair. "Like I said, it's none of your business."

"If someone is hurting you, then it is my business," Sirius said flatly, looking at his godson through narrowed eyes.

Harry was reminding him of all the standoffs between he and James, when either James was being an idiot or Sirius was.

Whenever they got into a standoff, it would be Moony or Wormtail…the bloody traitor…who would be the voice of reason and break it up.

Sirius heard footsteps echoing outside—as if he had summoned them—and then there was a knock on Harry's door. The knocking was cautious, as if whoever was knocking did not want to wake up the picture of Sirius's mum.

Harry, obviously thinking whoever was there would distract Sirius from the subject, bounded over to the door and yanked it open.

"Remus! Hello," Harry said heartily, in an almost too loud voice.

Remus eyebrows immediately shot up, like they did whenever James had tried to get away with something. It never worked with Harry's father, and it didn't work now with Harry himself.

Remus immediately looked over at Sirius. "Is he trying to run away?"

"How did you know I was thinking of that?" Harry said, realizing quickly that he didn't have an ally in Remus like he wished.

"Your James's son," Remus said simply.

"He wanted to, but I talked him out of it," Sirius said, gritting his teeth.

He adored his godson, to death, but Harry's stubbornness sometimes made Sirius want to knock him into a pigpen! He was worse then James when James did not want to share what he was thinking.

"Look at what's on his hand," Sirius said narrowing his eyes at Harry, who quickly tried to shove his hands into his pockets. Remus was too quick for that, though, and grabbed Harry's hand looking down at the words caved there.

"Harry, what is this?" Remus asked.

"My own fight, like I was telling him," Harry said, jerking his finger at Sirius. How strange it was to feel affectionate towards his godfather one moment, and like he wanted to smother him with a pillow the next.

"Harry," Remus said.

Sirius knew that tone. It was a you-are-being-a-dumb-butt-so-wise-up voice.

"Look, I'm not going to tell you, lot because I know he," Harry jerked his finger towards Sirius behind him, "will go and do something really stupid. Like turn up and hex…" Harry snapped his mouth shut tight, biting down hard on his lips.

"Hex whom?" Sirius said, firing up at once, "Who is doing this to you, Harry?" Sirius said, sounding a lot more like a worrying mother than himself.

"No one," Harry said quickly taking his hand away from Remus's hand, where it had been resting moments before.

"You're lying," Remus said quickly.

Sirius watched as Harry shoved his hands into his pockets. "What if I promise to not do anything unless I think it's necessary?" he asked.

"No, because I know you better than that," Harry said quickly, shaking his head at him.

"Harry, you need to tell us what is going on," Remus said.

"Before I decide to just walk up to the school and hex people until they tell me what's going on," Sirius said.

"You wouldn't!" Harry said.

"I would," Sirius said, folding his arms across his chest. If Harry wanted to act like a child then Sirius could act like one himself.

"But you can't, you wouldn't!" Harry said.

"Trust me, Harry, he would, now tell him what is going on," Remus said quickly.

Harry's eyes darted from Sirius and Remus and back again frowning, as he looked at them it looked almost as though he wanted to find a way out of the room.

"Apparently Umbridge does not like me telling the truth about what is going on. She thinks they are nasty attention-seeking lies," Harry said using a falsely sugary voice that made Sirius hackles rise. Had he been in his dog for Sirius knew he would have growled and barked.

Remus was looking at Harry in dumb disbelief.

"She is making you carve words into your skin," Sirius said growling. He had half a mind to go on and kill that stupid ministry worker turned DADA teacher.

Yet Sirius knew better then that although his first instinct was to go and fight. Harry would not however appreciate him fighting his battles. After all Harry was not a little boy anymore, he was growing up.

"Well, Harry," Sirius said clenching and unclenching his fist, "Now I understand why you want to start that secret society. I think its brilliant."

Harry looked at him, "You think its brilliant."

"Well yeah, you cannot have me stepping in a fighting your battles, I know that," Sirius said nodding his head.

"I think it would be wise though Harry for you to learn to control that temper of yours," Remus said from his spot in the doorway.

Sirius grinned clapping Harry hard on the shoulder, "You are definitely James's son," He said beaming, looking at Remus who was also beaming at Harry.

Yes, he was definitely James's son.


End file.
